This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for forming a solid or three-dimensional article, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for forming a three-dimensional article in which thermosetting material is jetted by an ink jetting method, and cured by applying heat to the material while sequentially or intermittently laminated on a stage, thereby to form a solid or three-dimensional article on the stage.
There has been conventionally utilized an apparatus using photocurable material as shown in FIG. 1, a well-known injection molding apparatus and a cutting tool in order to form a three-dimensional article using resin material.
In the conventional apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, a three-dimensional model for a solid article (a three-dimensional information on the article) is beforehand obtained by means of CAD (Computer Aided Design). The three-dimensional model is sliced into plural thin sectional layers (informations) each representing each of plural sectional articles whose assembly constitutes the solid or three-dimensional article. In accordance with data of each thin sectional layer, a control computer 61 drives an X, Y-axes control device 62 for controlling a movement of a laser source 64 on a X-Y plane and a Z-axis control device 63 for controlling a movement of the laser source 64 in the Z-direction. Simultaneously with the driving of the X, Y-axes control device 62 and the Z-axis control device 63, the laser light source 64 irradiates a laser beam to the surface of liquid photosetting resin 66 accommodated in a tank 65 while scanning the surface of the photosetting resin 66 and drawing a pattern representing the sectional shape of each sectional article on the liquid surface of the resin 66 in accordance with the data from the control computer 61 with the laser beam. A table 68 is provided in the tank 65 in such a manner as to be disposed beside the surface of the resin 66. The laser beam is irradiated toward the table, and thus the photosetting resin 66 which is exposed to the laser beam is phase-changed from liquid to solid on the table 68, that is, the photosetting resin 66 is cured on the table 68 by the laser beam, so that a sectional article corresponding to one sectional layer of the sliced three-dimensional model is formed of the resin on the table 68 in the tank 65.
The table 68 is moved downwardly ( in the Z-direction) by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one sectional article, and the above process is repeated to form a next sliced sectional article on the previously formed sliced article. A number of sliced sectional articles are sequentially formed and laminated by the above process, so that a cured solid article 69 is finally formed on the table 68.
In the conventional apparatus thus constructed, as described above, the liquid photosetting resin is accommodated in the tank and the laser beam is applied to the photosetting resin accommodated in the tank. Therefore, the material such as photosetting resin for the article to be formed is limited to only a single material. This limitation of the material also causes the color of the article to be limited to one color. If the material of the article or the color thereof is required to be changed on the way of the process, it is necessary to discharge the whole liquid photosetting resin from the tank and exchange it for a new one. Accordingly, in this case, a cleaning process for the inside of the tank is further required. This cleaning process causes a loss of time and a unnecessary cost. Further, it is very difficult to control polymerization of the resin in such an apparatus.
Further, in the conventional injection molding apparatus, an injection mold for forming a resin article must be beforehand formed, so that time and cost required for forming the article are more increased. In addition, the following disadvantages occur in this apparatus: a number of molds are required for a specific case, for example, when a number of kinds, but small quantity of articles are formed, but this apparatus is not suitable for such a case; various undesired portions such as a runner portion occur for a completed resin article, so that the resin at these portions must be removed from the article; an article having a hollow has a large limitation in structure; and much time for altering a material for the article are required. Accordingly, an article having a complicated structure can not be easily and accurately formed for a short time at low cost by this apparatus.
Still further, the cutting tool causes a large amount of scraps of the resin, so that a large amount of the resin of the article are left over which is undesired. In addition, the finally completed article is soiled by the scraps, so that the article can not be accurately formed. In comparison with the injection molding apparatus and so on, this cutting tool requires more time for a forming process, and thus is not suitable for a manufacturing process for forming a large amount of articles.